Necessary
by Ceville
Summary: All she wanted was to save her baby brother. He could care less about either of them, but she could be of use. Regardless of their feelings on the matter, they'd do what they must. To ensure the safety of those they held most dear, they'd do what was necessary. Khan/OC interactions, set before/during Into Darkness.


**Necessary;  
Prologue.**

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, aside from my OCs. _Unfortunately._

**Author's Note:** I'm baaaaaaaaack! So much real life crap has been going on; damnit real life, get back in your box!  
ANYWAY - I absoloutely _adored_ Into Darkness, and I love Benny Cumberbatch; he really stole the show, did such a good job! As always, the plot bunnies have struck, so I scribbled this out shortly after seeing the film, and finally decided to just get it over with and upload it. Idon't think this is going to be a _romance_ in the traditional sense, you've all seen how Khan is. BUT I thought it might be interesting to have him interact with some "lowly humans" before the events of Into Darkness. Besides, I need to keep myself busy while I wait for more Sherlock and whatnot!

Now, I've only seen the recent films, and a chunk of Next Generation. I'm actually looking for a beta reader who's well-versed in the Original Series, or any of the tv series, to give me a hand with the aliens and social conventions, and the world of Star Trek in general. If anyone's interested, drop me a PM, yeah? c:

This is just a "prologue", it's mostly a way for me to see whether it's an idea worth pursuing; depends on you, my dear readers!

* * *

"... _**W**_e're doing our best, but... at this stage, the disease has spread too quickly. We can barely keep up with it," The attractive, and surprisingly young doctor, looked at her sadly. "I don't know how much longer he has. I'm sorry."

The not-quite-as-young woman he was speaking to seemed to wilt at his words, her already sagging shoulders drooping even further as the depth of his words sank in. Charlie Mulligan, though only just twenty-seven, had the bearing and weariness of a woman double her age; once vibrant red hair hung in lank, oily clumps against her shoulders and back, dark rings circling a pair of exhausted, watery green eyes.

She swallowed thickly, rubbing at her forehead with an unhealthily bony hand. "I... Are you sure? This is one of the best hospitals in the country! There's got to be something-you _have _to be able to do _something_!" She wasn't entirely sure what she was saying, desperation making her voice wobble and sharpen every few syllables.

He sighed, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder in what was intended to be a comforting gesture. She stiffened, but he continued nonetheless. "I really am sorry, Charlie. Really." His hand dropped from her shoulder, and he turned to walk away; the click of his shoes reverberating around the hall.

She took a shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears began to well up. The woman swallowed again, and wiping at the tears furiously, nodded to herself; the action seeming to bring back a smidgen of control. She turned and walked back the down the hall, her cheap shoes barely making a sound on the shiny floors beneath them.

Carefully, quietly, she opened the door; one she'd opened and closed on many occasions beforehand. Far too many occasions. A trembling sigh escaped her as she tiptoed across the room, pausing beside a bed made with fancy sheets and covers. The little boy seemingly buried beneath them was frail and fragile, with a mop of unruly dark blonde hair. She felt her lips begin to quake, and though she tried to stop it from getting out with her hand; a sob escaped her.

Charlie collapsed into the armchair beside the bed, breaking down quietly as she gazed at her baby brother. _He's ten_. She thought brokenly. _Ten years old, and he's.. going to die_. She tried to calm herself, calm her breathing, managing to get it to the stage where she was no longer sobbing, but nowhere near being properly calm.

The room was quiet. She'd never appreciated the expression, "the silence was deafening", but... Sitting in that room, staring at little Bradley's sickly pale face? It was suffocating. It was plainly, but somehow still tastefully, decorated; the walls and floors and furnishings all carefully neutral, the colours no doubt intended to _soothe_.

The world, the universe for that matter, was a cruel place. Her brother was going to die from the same disease that had stolen their mother from them, and her father? He hadn't been the same since. Diving into his work after the death of his wife, he sent them more than enough money to get by, put Bradley up in the Royal Children's Hospital, paid all of the bills, but.. Emotionally, it was as if they had no father. He was a stranger, a stranger that supported them financially, but a stranger nonetheless.

Charlie gnawed at her lip, sniffling, and leaned forward to tenderly run her finger down his cheek. He was gaunt, unhealthily thin; the disease ravaging his tiny body. He didn't even _look_ like he was ten, his development had been stunted so severely, that he appeared the same as he had when they'd diagnosed him five years ago; though all traces of baby fat and vitality had long since disappeared.

A little moan startled her, his eyelids fluttering for a few seconds before they opened enough for him to look around the room tiredly, confusedly. They finally settled on her, the shade of their irises near-identical to her own, and he smiled weakly. "Charlie...?"

"Hey..." She spoke gently, her voice quiet. "Hey, little man."

"What... time is it?" He murmured, eyelids already beginning to droop.

She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the door, "Almost one o'clock, sweetie."

"I fell asleep," He was beginning to fall asleep again, a small smile on his face. "Could you... read to me, please?"

She nodded, eyes welling up, and took the book they'd been working on from his bedside table; opening it to the page where the bookmark had been placed. "Alrighty," She chirped brightly, not wanting him to see how upset she was; he'd always been far too perceptive for his own good. "Where were we..?"

"The little boy just got into the forest..." he mumbled, shifting around slightly to get comfortable.

"Ah, yes, here we are!" She traced her finger down the page, smiling at him lovingly. "Joseph knew he was in the Magical Forest now. The trees whispered and chanted as he walked..."

* * *

**Author's Note: ** There we go! Quite short, but it's just a "feeler" so to speak; see how everyone responds!  
Lemme know what you thought, I loooove hearing from you all!


End file.
